This invention relates to containers for storing dental appliances. More particularly, the invention relates to dental containers for storing dental appliances enclosed therein which provide a cleaning process of these enclosed appliances during dishwashing.
Plastic dental containers are used for either cleansing, storing or cleansing and storing dental appliances including retainers, dentures and other dental appliances. These appliances are usually cleansed by cleansing tablets, cleansing powders and rinsed by liquids which may enter an interior of these containers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,185 discloses a retaining box receiving a plurality of dental appliances and pivotally connected with a lid. The retaining box has a plurality of partitions and slanted surfaces forming a whirling water jet of warm water which enters the box through a single filling funnel formed in the lid. The cleaning is carried out by a cleansing tablet placed in the box and entrained by the flow of water which, upon exceeding a predetermined level of filling of the box, exits the latter through a single outlet.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,163,862 discloses a stationary receptacle receiving a container for dental appliances which is closed by a perforated lid and has its bottom and peripheral wall perforated with a plurality of apertures opening into the receptacle. A dental appliance is placed on the bottom of the container and cleaned by a jet of water entering the container through the lid and exiting through the perforated bottom and wall in order to accumulate in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,855 describes a denture washer having a washing container for housing the denture with a removable sealable lid. The container is formed with an outlet for exiting water which enters the container upon removing the lid.
U.S. Pat. Re. 35.034 discloses a disposable denture container having a pair of pivotally connected bottom and top members which are reliably closed to form a cleaning chamber that receives a cleansing tablet and water which is accumulated in the chamber for a period of time.
However, patients tend to complain how their dental appliances become stained, odoriferous, and nasty.
With one container in accordance with the invention an inexpensive easily manufactured dental appliance container is provided, which, when loaded in a dishwasher, provides an easy path for cleaning liquids leading to enclosed therein dental appliances.
This is achieved with one dental appliance container in accordance with the invention by providing a container with separable bottom and top members. Both top and bottom members are pierced by a plurality of apertures, so that a washing liquid can pass through the apertures and impact on an enclosed dental appliance from many different directions to effectively cleanse the appliance.
In accordance with one feature of the invention the top and bottom members are shaped to form an enclosure adapted to the shape of the dental appliance to be cleaned and provided with apertures distributed about the various surfaces of the members to supply cleaning liquid to the entire appliance while its movement within the enclosure is restricted.
According to another feature of the invention, both the top and bottom members are provided with apertures that are so located that critical parts of a dental appliance placed inside the container can be preferentially cleaned by liquid passing through the apertures into the container.
With another feature of the invention the apertures can be arranged in rows that are aligned with each other in a particular manner such as an alignment between aperture rows in top and bottom members or with aperture rows in circular arrangements or with randomly arranged apertures on both top and bottom members of the container.
Another aspect of the invention utilizes the apertures tending to increase the velocity of incoming jets of cleaning liquid. This is done as described in one form of the invention by shaping the walls of apertures in a particular manner such as narrowing apertures"" cross-sections towards the interior of the container.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a dental container in which a dental appliance can be more effectively cleaned.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a dental container having a structure adapted to preferentially clean particular parts of a dental appliance inside the dental container.